Norfolk Southern Railway

"Norfolk Southern" redirects here. For the holding company, see Norfolk Southern Corporation. For other uses, see Norfolk Southern (disambiguation).

Norfolk Southern Railway

Norfolk Southern Railway system map; trackage rights in purple
Overview
Headquarters	Norfolk, Virginia
Reporting mark	NS (formerly SOU)
Locale	Eastern United States (originally Southern United States)
Dates of operation	1894 (1894)–Present (founded as the Southern Railway, 122 years ago) Norfolk Southern Railway (1990-present) Southern Railway (1894-1990)
Predecessor	Richmond, York River and Chesapeake Railroad (1894) Richmond and Danville Railroad (1894) Memphis and Charleston Railroad (1894) East Tennessee, Virginia and Georgia Railway (1894) Norfolk and Western Railway (last Class 1 railroad absorbed into the system, completed in 1997) Absorbed half of Conrail in 1999
Technical
Length	21,500 miles (34,600 kilometres)
Other
Website	nscorp.com

Westbound Norfolk Southern merchandise train on the Reading Line in Lyons, PA

Norfolk Southern building in Atlanta, Georgia

The Norfolk Southern Railway (reporting mark NS), (also known as Norfolk Southern Railway Company, Norfolk Southern Railroad or simply Norfolk Southern) is a Class I railroad in the United States, owned by the Norfolk Southern Corporation. The railroad operates over 22,000 route miles in 22 eastern states, the District of Columbia, and has rights in Canada from Buffalo to Toronto and over the Albany to Montreal route. The most common commodity hauled on the railroad is coal from mines in Indiana, Kentucky, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Virginia, and West Virginia. The railroad also offers the most extensive intermodal network in eastern North America.

The Norfolk Southern Railway was founded in 1894 as the Southern Railway (also known as Southern Railway Company), making it the fourth oldest Class I railroad in North America (just behind Union Pacific Railroad, Canadian Pacific Railway and Kansas City Southern Railway). The railroad is a product of nearly 150 predecessor Southern United States lines that were combined, reorganized and recombined beginning in the 1830s, formally becoming the Southern Railway in 1894. The railroad's official predecessors are the Richmond, York River and Chesapeake Railroad, Richmond and Danville Railroad, Memphis and Charleston Railroad, East Tennessee, Virginia and Georgia Railway with its heritage dating back to South Carolina Canal & Rail Road. The railroad has been operating for 122 years and has a heritage dating back to 189 years, 67 years before the railroad began.

As the Southern Railway, its reporting mark was SOU and is still being used by the railroad today. The railroad's headquarters were originally located in Washington, D.C. but was moved to Norfolk, Virginia. The railroad shares the headquarters with its parent Norfolk Southern Corporation.

In 1980, the railroad and its rival the Norfolk and Western Railway (N&W) joined forces together and created the Norfolk Southern Corporation holding company by having both railroads merge their business operations together to form the new holding company; the Norfolk Southern Corporation began operations two years later (1982) after its creation. After the new Norfolk Southern Corporation holding company began operations, both railroads were placed under control of their new holding company and both railroads continued as separate railroads under the Norfolk Southern Corporation. The Norfolk Southern Corporation was created in response to the creation of the CSX Corporation, formed after the Interstate Commerce Commission's 1980 approval of the merger of the Chessie System and the Seaboard System (its rail system was later transformed to CSX Transportation in 1986). The new Norfolk Southern Corporation holding company aimed to compete in the eastern United States with CSX Corporation.

The railroad was renamed from "Southern Railway" to its current name "Norfolk Southern Railway" on December 31, 1990 to reflect its parent company, making the railroad the third business entity to use the "Norfolk Southern" name. Its holding company was the second business entity to use the "Norfolk Southern" name and the holding company was named in honor of the original Norfolk Southern Railway which served primarily in North Carolina and the southeastern tip of Virginia and which was acquired by the "current" "Norfolk Southern Railway" in 1974 when it was operating as the Southern Railway.

Also on December 31, 1990, the railroad gained full control of the Norfolk and Western Railway with the Norfolk and Western being transferred from the holding company to the renamed Norfolk Southern Railway, this began the final years of Norfolk and Western which was absorbed into the renamed Norfolk Southern Railway seven years later in 1997.

In 1996, the railroad's parent Norfolk Southern Corporation entered into a duopoly with the CSX Corporation (lasted from 1996-1999) to takeover the formerly government-owned Conrail. The CSX Corporation bid to buy Conrail and have it be absorbed into its railroad CSX Transportation. The parent Norfolk Southern Corporation has been attempting to purchase Conrail ever since the holding company was created which was back in 1982. Fearing that CSX would come to dominate rail traffic in the eastern U.S., Norfolk Southern responded with a bid of its own to purchase Conrail. This started a takeover battle between Norfolk Southern and CSX.

In 1997 during the Conrail battle with CSX which was handled by the Norfolk Southern Corporation, the renamed Norfolk Southern Railway absorbed the Norfolk and Western Railway into their rail system, ending the existence of the Norfolk and Western Railway. The Norfolk Southern Railway is now the only railroad representing the entire Norfolk Southern system.

On June 23, 1997, Norfolk Southern and CSX filed a joint application with the Surface Transportation Board (STB) for authority to purchase, divide, and operate the assets of Conrail. On June 6, 1998, the STB approved the NS-CSX application, effective August 22, 1998. The process though wasn't completed until 1999.

In 1999, the Conrail takeover between Norfolk Southern and CSX was complete, the result was Norfolk Southern acquired over half of Conrail which was 58% using the Pennsylvania Lines LLC company while CSX got the remaining 42% of Conrail. The Norfolk Southern Railway grew substantially by gaining 7,200 miles (11,600 km) of track, most of which was part of the former Pennsylvania Railroad. The Norfolk Southern Railway, began operating its trains on its portion of the former Conrail network on June 1, 1999, closing out the 1990s merger era. Together Norfolk Southern Railway and the CSX Transportation have a duopoly over all east-west freight rail traffic east of the Mississippi River.

On November 17, 2015, Canadian Pacific Railway Limited, the holding company for Canadian Pacific Railway announced an offer to purchase all outstanding shares of Norfolk Southern Railway's parent company Norfolk Southern Corporation, at a price in excess of the US$26 Billion capitalization of the US based railroad corporation. If completed, the merger of the second and fourth oldest Class I railroads in North America and their holding companies would form the largest single railroad network in North America, reaching from the Pacific coast to the Atlantic coast to the Gulf Coast. On December 4, 2015, Norfolk Southern Corporation rejected Canadian Pacific Railway Limited's offer, but CP replied that it was "committed" to a merger with NS.

History

Background

The Norfolk Southern Railway was established in 1894 as the Southern Railway, making it the fourth oldest Class I railroad in North America after Union Pacific Railroad, Canadian Pacific Railway and Kansas City Southern Railway.

After its establishment, the railroad did not build its own tracks and purchased the Richmond, York River and Chesapeake Railroad, the Richmond and Danville Railroad, the Memphis and Charleston Railroad and the East Tennessee, Virginia and Georgia Railway in order for the railroad to become operational.

The railroad has since grown throughout the Southern United States with a small presence beyond the Southern states. Its final Southern US expansion was in 1997 which was the absorption of the Norfolk and Western Railway. The Norfolk and Western was the last Class 1 railroad to get absorbed into the Southern Railway/Norfolk Southern Railway.

In 1999, the railroad expanded more into the Northeast and the Midwest by acquiring over half of Conrail including Conrail's major lines: Lehigh Line, Reading Line, Harrisburg Line, and Pittsburgh Line.

Predecessors

The railroad does have predecessor railroads in its heritage dating back to the early 19th century. The railroad's earliest predecessor line was the South Carolina Canal & Rail Road which was one of the first railroads in the United States.

The pioneering South Carolina Canal and Rail Road was chartered in December 1827 and became the first in the nation to offer regularly scheduled steam-powered passenger train service with the inaugural run of the wood-burning Best Friend of Charleston on December 25, 1830 over a six-mile section out of Charleston, South Carolina (the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad ran regular passenger service earlier that year). By 1833, its 136-mile line to Hamburg, South Carolina, was the longest in the world.

As railroads became more popular in other Southern states, networks gradually spread across the South and even across the Appalachian Mountains. By 1857 the Memphis and Charleston Railroad was completed to link Charleston, South Carolina, and Memphis, Tennessee, but rail expansion in the South was halted with the start of the American Civil War. The Battle of Shiloh, the Siege of Corinth and the Second Battle of Corinth in 1862 were motivated by the importance of the Memphis and Charleston line, the only East-West rail link across the Confederacy. The Chickamauga Campaign for Chattanooga, Tennessee was also motivated by the importance of its rail connections to the Memphis and Charleston and other lines. Also in 1862 the Richmond and York River Railroad, which operated from the Pamunkey River at West Point, Virginia to Richmond, Virginia, was a major focus of George McClellan's Peninsular Campaign, which culminated in the Seven Days Battles and devastated the tiny rail link. Late in the war, the Richmond and Danville Railroad was the Confederacy's last link to Richmond, and transported Jefferson Davis and his cabinet to Danville, Virginia just before the fall of Richmond in April 1865. The Richmond and Danville Railroad (R&D) was formed in 1847 and expanded into a large system after the American Civil War under Algernon S. Buford.

Known as the "First Railroad War," the Civil War left the South's railroads and economy devastated. Most of the railroads, however, were repaired, reorganized and operated again. In the area along the Ohio River and Mississippi River, construction of new railroads continued throughout Reconstruction.

The Richmond and Danville expanded throughout the South during this period, but was overextended, and ultimately fell on hard times with financial troubles in 1893. Control of the R&D was lost to financier J.P. Morgan, who reorganized it into the Southern Railway system; the Richmond and Danville became a major portion of the Southern Railway in 1894.

Continuing as the Norfolk Southern Railway (1990–present)

NS 21M rolls through Easton, Pennsylvania on the Lehigh Line in 2006

Helpers on the rear of an intermodal train entering the Gallitzin Tunnel

Two Norfolk Southern trains heading east along the Pittsburgh Line

Restarting as Norfolk Southern Railway

On December 31, 1990, the railroad, now owned and operated by the new Norfolk Southern Corporation, was renamed from "Southern Railway" to "Norfolk Southern Railway" to reflect its parent company, the Norfolk Southern Corporation. It's parent company was named "Norfolk Southern" Corporation back in 1982 in honor of the original Norfolk Southern Railway which was absorbed into the renamed Norfolk Southern Railway when it was called the Southern Railway. Coincidently, the railroad changing it's name from Southern Railway to Norfolk Southern Railway was basically adding the word "Norfolk" in front of the original name "Southern Railway". The railroad now becomes the third business entity to use the "Norfolk Southern" name.

On the same day the railroad changed its name from "Southern Railway" to "Norfolk Southern Railway" (December 31, 1990), the renamed Norfolk Southern Railway (formerly Southern Railway) gained full control of the Norfolk and Western Railway with the Norfolk and Western being transferred from the holding company to the renamed Norfolk Southern Railway. This began Norfolk and Western's final seven years of existence.

The Merger Period, Part 1

In 1996, Norfolk Southern entered into a duopoly with the CSX Corporation to takeover the formerly government-owned Conrail. The Norfolk Southern Railway and its parent the Norfolk Southern Corporation disapproved a Conrail/CSX merger.

Consolidated Rail Corporation (Conrail) was a 11,000-mile (18,000 km) system formed in 1976 and replaced the Penn Central Railroad (1968–1976), which itself was created with the merging three venerable railroad rivals, the Pennsylvania Railroad the New York Central Railroad and the New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad, as well as some smaller competitors. Conrail replacing Penn Central was perhaps the most controversial conglomerate in corporate history. Conrail's purpose of creation was to bring together several ailing northeastern rail systems into a government-owned corporation other than Penn Central. Conrail became profitable after the Staggers Act in 1980 largely deregulated the U.S. railroad industry.

The CSX Corporation bid to buy Conrail and have it be absorbed its railroad CSX Transportation. Norfolk Southern Railway's parent, the Norfolk Southern Corporation has been attempting to purchase Conrail ever since the holding company was created which was back in 1982. Fearing that CSX would come to dominate rail traffic in the eastern U.S., Norfolk Southern responded with a bid of its own to purchase Conrail. This started a takeover battle between Norfolk Southern and CSX.

In 1997 during the Conrail takeover battle with CSX which was handled by the parent Norfolk Southern Corporation, the Norfolk Southern Railway finally absorbed the Norfolk and Western Railway into their rail system, ending the existence of the Norfolk and Western Railway.

The Merger Period, Part 2

Norfolk Southern Railway map right after Conrail merger

Norfolk Southern and CSX struck a compromise and agreed to jointly acquire Conrail and split most of its system and assets between them, with Norfolk Southern acquiring a larger portion of the Conrail network via a larger stock buyout; this returned rail freight competition to the Northeast. On June 23, 1997, Norfolk Southern and CSX filed a joint application with the Surface Transportation Board (STB) for authority to purchase, divide, and operate the assets of Conrail. Under the final agreement approved by the Surface Transportation Board, Norfolk Southern acquired 58 percent of Conrail's assets, including roughly 6,000 Conrail route miles, and CSX received 42 percent of Conrail's assets, including about 3,600 route miles. The process though wasn't completed until 1999.

On June 6, 1998, The NS-CSX buyout application was approved by the Surface Transportation Board and both sides took control of Conrail effectively on August 22, 1998; it would take almost a year for both sides to operate their portions that belonged to Conrail after that. In 1998, the lines were transferred to two newly formed limited liability companies, to be subsidiaries of Conrail but leased to CSX and Norfolk Southern, respectively New York Central Lines (NYC) and Pennsylvania Lines (PRR). Pennsylvania Lines LLC was Norfolk Southern's limited liability company that owned the Conrail lines that was assigned to Norfolk Southern in the Conrail split. Pennsylvania Lines LLC is named after the old Pennsylvania Railroad, whose old main line was a line of the newly established limited liability company. The NYC and PRR reporting marks, which had passed to Conrail, were also transferred to the new companies, and Norfolk Southern also acquired the CR reporting mark.

On May 31, 1999, the Conrail takeover between Norfolk Southern and CSX was complete. Conrail ended operations and its lines were finally split between the two remaining Class I railroads in the East, the Norfolk Southern Railway and CSX Transportation. Both railroads under Norfolk Southern and CSX switched over operations from Conrail and then both railroads began operations on the former lines of Conrail on June 1, 1999 while using their limited liability companies in the process, closing out the 1990s merger era. The result was Norfolk Southern acquired over half of Conrail which was 58% while CSX got the remaining 42%. Norfolk Southern gained about 7,200 miles (11,600 km) of track, most of which was part of the former Pennsylvania Railroad; Norfolk Southern received some of Conrail's major lines such as the Lehigh Line, the Reading Line, the Harrisburg Line, and the Pittsburgh Line in the process.

In November, 2003, the Surface Transportation Board approved a plan allowing Norfolk Southern to fully absorb Pennsylvania Lines LLC which was done on August 27, 2004.

To date, both the Norfolk Southern Railway and CSX Transportation have a duopoly over all east-west freight rail traffic east of the Mississippi River.

Delaware & Hudson Railway South Line acquisition

In 2015, Norfolk Southern Corporation completed the acquisition of 282 miles of the Delaware & Hudson (D&H) south line route between Sunbury, Pennsylvania and Schenectady, New York for 214.5 million dollars from the Delaware & Hudson Railway (D&H) and added it to the Norfolk Southern Railway; only the route was acquired, not the D&H. The Delaware & Hudson Railway was established in 1823 and is owned and operated by Canadian Pacific Railway Limited under direct railroad subsidiary Canadian Pacific Railway and under indirect railroad subsidiary Soo Line Corporation which controls the Soo Line Railroad. The Delaware & Hudson Railway is still a Canadian Pacifc subsidiary.

The Delaware & Hudson South Line is a rail route that now consists of two rail lines, the Sunbury Line and the Freight Line. The Sunbury Line runs from Sunbury to Binghamton and the Freight Line runs from Binghamton to Schenectady. Under Canadian Pacific ownership, the Sunbury Line originally went from Sunbury to Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania but Canadian Pacific extended the line passed Wilkes-Barre to Binghamton by transferring the remaining lines pass Wilkes-Barre to Binghamton to the existing Sunbury Line. The Nicholson Cutoff was one of the rail lines passed Wilkes-Barre that was absorbed into the Sunbury Line.

The acquired lines connect with the Norfolk Southern Railway network at Sunbury and Binghamton and they provide Norfolk Southern single-line routes from Chicago and the southeastern United States to Albany, New York and Norfolk Southern intermodal terminals in Scranton, Pennsylvania and Mechanicville, New York. Additionally, Norfolk Southern acquired D&H's car shop in Binghamton along with other facilities along the corridor.

The acquisition of the Delaware & Hudson Railway properties from Sunbury to Schenectady made it easier for Norfolk Southern to gain an enhanced connection to its New England market joint venture subsidiary with Pan Am Railways, Pan Am Southern.

Canadian Pacific attempts to acquire Norfolk Southern

In 2015, due to a slump in coal shipments, Norfolk Southern Corporation closed Norfolk Southern Railway's former Virginian Railway lines and laid off workers at its Lambert's Point coal terminal. This caused Norfolk Southern to be at the center of speculation for potentially being targeted for a rail merger.

With the slump in coal shipments which caused Norfolk Southern to enter the conversation for potentially being targeted for a rail merger, the rail merger speculation was proven true as Canadian Pacific Railway Limited, the parent company of Canadian Pacific Railway announced an offer to purchase all outstanding shares of Norfolk Southern Corporation which includes the Norfolk Southern Railway at a price in excess of the US$26 Billion capitalization of the US based railroad holding company after close of markets on November 17, 2015.

On December 4, 2015, Norfolk Southern Corporation rejected Canadian Pacific Railway Limited's offer, saying "After a comprehensive review, conducted in consultation with financial and legal advisors, the Norfolk Southern board concluded that the indication of interest is grossly inadequate, creates substantial regulatory risks and uncertainties that are highly unlikely to be overcome, and is not in the best interest of the company and its shareholders. The board believes that Canadian Pacific's indication of interest is opportunistically timed to take advantage of a Norfolk Southern market valuation that has been adversely affected by a challenging commodity price environment, does not fully reflect infrastructure investments Norfolk Southern has made, and does not incorporate the upside from further improvements anticipated to result from the initiatives that the company is implementing."

"Canadian Pacific is disappointed with Norfolk Southern Corp.'s rejection of its proposal to create an end-to-end North American rail network that would enhance competition and generate significant shareholder value," Canadian Pacific said in response. "CP takes exception to the claims, misdirection and mischaracterization of its offer and the benefits such a combination would provide to customers, shareholders, the industry and the public."

Canadian Pacific sent Norfolk Southern a revised offer on December 8, 2015. Norfolk Southern immediately rejected it. On December 16, 2015, Canadian Pacific made a third offer for Norfolk Southern, which it claimed was a "revised, enhanced offer." Norfolk Southern replied that it would consider the proposal, but that it was not substantially different from CP's previous bids. On December 23, 2015, Norfolk Southern rejected Canadian Pacific's third offer. "The board of Norfolk Southern has unanimously determined that your latest revised proposal is grossly inadequate, creates substantial regulatory risks and uncertainties that are highly unlikely to be overcome, and is not in the best interest of the Company and its shareholders," Norfolk Southern said in its letter to Canadian Pacific.

"It is apparent that neither the executive leadership at NS nor its board of directors are willing to sit down in an open and constructive dialogue about this transformational opportunity and that the interests of the NS board are not aligned with the best interests of NS shareholders," Canadian Pacific said in response, and noted that the railroad would review its "strategic alternatives." One of these alternatives may be a proxy fight for control of Norfolk Southern.

Aftermath of proposed acquisition by Canadian Pacific

Due to Canadian Pacific's attempts to acquire Norfolk Southern, Norfolk Southern was forced to restructure which is combining their divisions together, cut trackage and costs, upgrade their locomotives and cut jobs.

In 2016, Norfolk Southern Corporation combined Norfolk Southern Railway's Virginia and Pocahontas Divisions into the "new" Pocahontas Division, with division headquarters being established in Roanoke, Virginia. In a related move, streamlined operations on its "West Virginia Secondary” in response to a decline of traffic on the route, which connects central West Virginia to Columbus, Ohio.

On January 27, 2016, Norfolk Southern Corporation announced that as part of its restructuring plans, the Norfolk Southern Railway would cut 2,000 jobs, with around 1,200 eliminated in 2016, and the rest by 2020. Norfolk Southern also announced it would trim 1,500 miles of track, reduce overhead costs, and upgrade its locomotive fleet.

Canadian Pacific makes more attempts to acquire Norfolk Southern

Currently, Canadian Pacific is still trying to takeover Norfolk Southern and wants to have a vote on it. Canadian Pacific created a website to persuade people that the Canadian Pacific/Norfolk Southern merger would benefit the rail industry. Canadian Pacific both filed a complaint against the Department of Justice and dropped their proposed proxy fight in the proposed merger with Norfolk Southern.

United Parcel Service (UPS) spoke out about the rail merger and said they are against the Canadian Pacific/Norfolk Southern merger. While Canadian Pacific still attempting to takeover Norfolk Southern, it is cutting 1,000 jobs through attrition.

Company officers

Before 1982

Presidents of the Southern Railway:

• Samuel Spencer (1894–1906)
• William Finley (1906–1913)
• Fairfax Harrison (1913–1937)
• Earnest E. Norris (1937–1951)
• Harry A. deButts (1951–1962)
• D. William Brosnan (1962–1967)
• W. Graham Claytor, Jr. (1967–1977)
• L. Stanley Crane (1977–1980)
• Harold H. Hall (1980–1982) (last official president of the railroad)

After 1982

Beginning in 1982, the Norfolk Southern Corporation eliminated the president's position for both the Southern Railway and the Norfolk and Western Railway. After that, the CEO and President position for the Norfolk Southern Corporation took over all presidential operations for both railroads. CEO and President positions represent both the railroad and the holding company. CEO's and Presidents of Norfolk Southern have included:

• Robert B. Claytor, CEO: 1982–1987 (Claytor was president of Norfolk and Western Railway before the creation of the Norfolk Southern Corporation)
• Arnold B. McKinnon, CEO and President: 1987–1992
• David R. Goode:
  • CEO: 1992–2005
  • President: 1991–2004
• Charles "Wick" Moorman:
  • CEO: 2005–2015
  • President: 2004–2013
• James A. Squires:
  • CEO: June 2015–present
  • President: June 1, 2013–present

Operations– background, current trackage, yards and facilities, reporting marks, locomotives and rolling stock, passenger trains

Background

Northbound Norfolk Southern autorack train on the Lurgan Branch in Shippensburg, Pennsylvania

A westbound Norfolk Southern intermodal train rolls through Union, NJ.

The Norfolk Southern Railway and its predecessors were responsible for many firsts in the industry. Starting in 1833, its predecessor, the South Carolina Canal and Rail Road, was the first to carry passengers, U.S. troops and mail on steam-powered trains, and it was the first to operate at night.

On June 17, 1953, the railroad's last steam-powered freight train arrived in Chattanooga, Tennessee, behind 2-8-2 locomotive No. 6330.

From dieselization and shop and yard modernization, to computers and the development of special cars, the unit coal train and Radio Controlled Mid-Train Helper Locomotives, the railroad often was on the cutting edge of change, earning the railroad its catch phrase, "Southern Gives a Green Light to Innovation".

The railroad is now a major transporter of domestic and export coal. The railroad's major sources of the mineral are located in: Pennsylvania's Cambria and Indiana counties, as well as the Monongahela Valley; West Virginia; and the Appalachia regions of Virginia, Kentucky, and Tennessee. In Pennsylvania, NS also receives coal through interchange with R.J. Corman Railroad/Pennsylvania Lines at Cresson, Pennsylvania, originating in the "Clearfield Cluster".

Norfolk Southern's export of West Virginia bituminous coal, begins transport on portions of the well-engineered former Virginian Railway and the former N&W double-tracked line in Eastern Virginia to its Lambert's Point coal pier on Hampton Roads at Norfolk. Coal transported by Norfolk Southern is thus exported to steel mills and power plants around the world. The company is also a major transporter of auto parts and completed vehicles. It operates intermodal container and TOFC (trailer on flat car) trains, some in conjunction with other railroads. Norfolk Southern was the first railway to employ roadrailers, which are highway truck trailers with interchangeable wheel sets.

According to Norfolk Southern's 2012 Annual Report to Investors, at the end of 2012, Norfolk Southern had more than 30,943 employees, 3,468 locomotives, and 79,082 freight cars.

At the end of 2012, the transport of coal, coke, and iron ore made up 26% of the total operating revenue of Norfolk Southern, general merchandise (automotive, chemicals, metals, construction materials, agriculture commodities, consumer products, paper, clay, and forest products) made up 54%, and intermodal made up 20% of the total.

Current trackage

Main article: List of Norfolk Southern Railway lines

Operating divisions of the Norfolk Southern Railway

3

Improvement projects

• Crescent Corridor - Louisiana to New Jersey
• Heartland Corridor - Midwest to Norfolk

Pittsburgh Line

Main article: Pittsburgh Line

Eastbound intermodal train on the Pittsburgh Line in Newport

The Pittsburgh Line is Norfolk Southern's principal east–west line from the Northeast to the Midwest. Running from Harrisburg, Pennsylvania to Conway, Pennsylvania, it once was the core of the Pennsylvania Railroad's (PRR) main line. An average day sees 60 to 110 trains of all types. The line is home to the famous Horseshoe Curve.

Beginning at Altoona in Altoona, Pennsylvania, and ending at Conpit Junction in West Wheatfield Township, Pennsylvania, trains must ascend and control their speed down the faces of the Allegheny Ridge, some of the steepest slopes in the Allegheny Range. It is a helper locomotive district. Most common on helper assignments are pairs of new SD40Es (former EMD SD50 units rebuilt at Norfolk Southern's Juniata Shops in Altoona). On heavier unit coal trains, it is not uncommon to see two helper sets put together to create what local railfans call four-bangers. Some trains weigh more than 18,000 tons. For eastbound traffic, road crews often call for a "helper-ahead" when they are short on time.

Some lesser hills also exist west of Altoona, sometimes warranting westbound helpers to continue to Pittsburgh. For this purpose, a partial bypass of the Pittsburgh Line exists between Johnstown and Pittsburgh. Known as the Conemaugh Line, it runs from Conpit Junction to Federal Street on the North Side of Pittsburgh via a flat, though longer, route along the Conemaugh and Allegheny Rivers, bypassing several steep grades west of the Alleghenies as well as the Pittsburgh passenger station. The Conemaugh Line is used mostly by heavier freights.

Lehigh Line

Main article: Lehigh Line (Norfolk Southern)

File:Ns three bridges 1.png

Norfolk Southern westbound delivery train passing through Three Bridges, New Jersey on the Lehigh Line

The Lehigh Line is Norfolk Southern's primary route into the New York City area and runs from Port Reading Junction in Manville, New Jersey to M&H Junction near Old Penn Haven, Pennsylvania. At Port Reading Junction in Manville, the line meets up with Conrail Shared Assets Operations's Lehigh Line and CSX's Trenton Subdivision. At M&H Junction near Old Penn Haven, the line meets up with the Reading Blue Mountain and Northern Railroad's Reading Division and Lehigh Division. The line interchanges with smaller railroads such as the Black River and Western Railroad in Three Bridges, New Jersey in Readington Township and the Belvidere and Delaware River Railway in Phillipsburg, New Jersey. The line connects with the Reading Line in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. The line was left over from Conrail.

The line hosts approximately twenty-five trains per day, with traffic peaking at the end of the week. East of the junction with the Reading Line in Allentown, Pennsylvania and Bethlehem, the line serves as Norfolk Southern's main corridor in and out of the Port of New York and New Jersey. The line passes through the approximately 5,000 foot Pattenburg Tunnel in West Portal, New Jersey along its route. Most of the traffic along the line consists of intermodal and general merchandise trains going to yards such as Oak Island Yard in Newark, New Jersey and Croxton Yard in Jersey City, New Jersey.

Chicago Corridor

At about 150 miles, this is the most direct route for NS trains between Chicago and Fort Wayne, Indiana. It has 16 passing sidings and several stretches of double track.

Chicago Bypass

Main article: Kankakee Belt Route

Meridian Speedway

Main article: Meridian Speedway

Pan Am Southern/Patriot Corridor

Norfolk Southern ES40DC 7613 on Pan Am Southern in Zoar, MA

On May 15, 2008, Norfolk Southern announced that it would join with the ailing Pan Am Railways to create the "Patriot Corridor", an improved rail route that runs between Albany, New York, and the greater Boston, Massachusetts, area. On March 12, 2009, STB approved the deal. Each of the two companies now owns 50% of a new company known as Pan Am Southern (PAS). PAR's trackage between Ayer, Massachusetts, and Mechanicville, New York, was transferred to PAS, and continues to be operated and maintained by PAR's Springfield Terminal Railway Company subsidiary. Norfolk Southern transferred to PAS cash and property valued at $140 million.

Planned improvements to the route include upgrades to tracks and signals and new automotive and intermodal terminals.

Yards and facilities

Main article: List of Norfolk Southern Railway lines

Largely an eastern U.S. railway, NS directly owns and operates 21,300 miles (34,300 kilometres) of track in 22 states. It operates three primary hubs in its system: Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, Chicago, and Atlanta and maintains facilities across the Eastern US to facilitate operations, including rail classification yards, intermodal yards, and locomotive shops

NS has rights to operate its trains with its own crews on competing railroads' tracks. These trackage rights permit NS to operate as far west as Dallas, Texas, as far north as Waterville, Maine, and as far south as Miami, Florida. NS locomotives also occasionally operate on competitors' tracks throughout the U.S. and Canada due to the practice of locomotive leasing and sharing undertaken by the Class I railroads. Not including second, third, and fourth main line trackage, yards, and sidings, NS directly operates some 21,500 miles (34,600 kilometres) of track. In addition NS has direct control over approximately 38,000 miles (61,000 kilometres).

General Freight Classification Yards

Enola Yard, Pennsylvania

3

Intermodal classification yards

Juniata Shops at Altoona Works

Norfolk Southern yard in Croxton, New Jersey, on the outskirts of New York City

3

Locomotive shops

3

Norfolk Southern also shares interest with CSX Transportation in the Oak Island Yard, managed by Conrail Shared Assets Operations in Newark, New Jersey.

Reporting marks

Railroads use initials as reporting marks, a universal system intended to help keep track of rolling stock and financial transactions between railroads. Although it has been widely known as simply "Norfolk Southern" since 1982, the corporate structure and reporting marks are more complicated. In 1990, Southern Railway (Southern Railway Company) was renamed Norfolk Southern Railway (Norfolk Southern Railway Company). Its Norfolk and Western Railway company was merged into the Norfolk Southern Railway in 1997. In 1999, when most of Conrail's former PRR trackage was sold to the Norfolk Southern Railway, the Pennsylvania Lines LLC was created and PRR reporting marks used on the former Conrail motive power and rolling stock.

Norfolk Southern Railway uses 13 reporting marks, 1 primary reporting mark and 12 secondary reporting marks. Norfolk Southern's primary reporting is NS. Norfolk Southern's 12 secondary reporting marks consists of its former primary reporting mark SOU which stands for the railroad's former name "Southern Railway" and the other 11 of the secondary reporting marks belong to former railroads which are now part of the Norfolk Southern system. The 11 reporting marks which came from those former railroads which are now part of the Norfolk Southern system are listed below.

AGS - Alabama Great Southern Railroad CG sometimes CofG - Central of Georgia Railway CNTP - Cincinnati, New Orleans and Texas Pacific Railway (CNO&TP) CR - Conrail GANO - Georgia Northern Railway NKP - Nickel Plate Road PRR - Pennsylvania Lines LLC

NW - Norfolk and Western Railway TAG - Tennessee, Alabama and Georgia Railway VGN - Virginian Railway WAB - Wabash Railroad

Locomotives and rolling stock

Paint and colors

Norfolk Southern's locomotives are often called "catfish" by railfans, as the stripes are said to look like catfish whiskers. EMD GP59 no. 4610 was painted in predecessor Southern colors of green and white with gold trim and was a favorite of railfans. The work was done at the DeButts Yard in Chattanooga, Tennessee during the summer of 1994 and the locomotive received a repaint in the summer of 2004. The locomotive was repainted standard Norfolk Southern black and white in February 2012.

The current paint scheme for Norfolk Southern locomotives is black and white, with yellow grab irons and step-edge highlights. Locomotives feature a rearing horse decal enclosed in the "catfish" stripes on both the nose and rear, which is consistent with marketing campaigns where NS has billed itself as "The Thoroughbred of Transportation".

Norfolk Southern painted 20 new-order ES44ACs and SD70ACes in commemorative heritage paint schemes as part of Norfolk Southern Corporation's 30th anniversary celebration in 2012 (more info below in the "Heritage Schemes" section).

Regular locomotives

Historically, Norfolk Southern has only purchased DC traction diesel locomotives, and was one of the last North American AC-traction hold-outs aside from Canadian National Railway. In September 2008, however, Norfolk Southern placed its first order for new AC traction locomotives: 24 GE ES44ACs, numbered 8000-8023, for use as pushers on long-haul coal trains. In the years since, Norfolk Southern has purchased several more ES44ACs as well as over 150 EMD SD70ACes.

In an effort to avoid having to order new, EPA Tier 4-emissions compliant locomotives in 2015, Norfolk Southern has taken delivery of several older EMD locomotives from various US Class I railroads, including 9 ex-BNSF "tri-clops" SD60M's, 6 ex-ATSF (BNSF) SD75M's, the remaining 12 ex-Conrail SD80MAC's owned by CSX, and a majority of Union Pacific's SD9043MAC's.

Norfolk Southern is the only railroad ever to own SD80MAC's and SD90MAC's simultaneously.

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  NS #9903 GE C40-9W along with two other units head west from NS Elkhart Yard
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  NS 39J lead unit NS #8372 GE C40-8W with 5 others are late leaving Kalamazoo due to weather and delays from Amtrak
• 
  NS #3524 GE B32-8 at NS Hinman Yard
• 
  NS #3067 GP40-2 with it new paint scheme sits in the snow at Botford Yard
• 
  A NS GP38-2 in Dover, Delaware, with depot in background
• 
  A NS GP38-2 running long hood forward through Ridgewood, New Jersey,on NS H07 the reverse H8K on the Southern Tier and NJ Transit Main Line on March 1, 2008
• 
  A GP50 approaches a level crossing in Charlotte, North Carolina on June 22, 2005
• 
  A GE C40-9W leads a train on October 12, 2008
• 
  Three Norfolk Southern freight trains pass each other on the Horseshoe Curve on the Pittsburgh Line in 2006.
• 
  Norfolk Southern train in Kingwood, Texas

Heritage fleet

ES44AC 8100 in Nickel Plate Road colors

In the first half of 2012, Norfolk Southern painted 10 EMD SD70ACe's and 10 GE ES44AC's as special heritage units, each bearing the paint schemes and markings of the various predecessor railroads of Norfolk Southern and Conrail. On July 1–3, 2012, all 20 units gathered together at the North Carolina Transportation Museum at Spencer, North Carolina, as the highlight of Norfolk Southern Coproration's 30th-anniversary celebration. The locomotives have since traveled throughout the United States on various Class I railroads as run-through pool power, attracting much attention from railfans.

The Heritage Units include:

Central of Georgia (GE ES44AC) #8101 Central Railroad of New Jersey (EMD SD70ACe) #1071 Conrail ("Big Blue") (GE ES44AC) #8098 Delaware, Lackawanna, & Western (EMD SD70ACe) #1074 Erie (EMD SD70ACe) #1068 Lehigh Valley Railroad (Red) (GE ES44AC) #8104 Illinois Terminal Railroad (EMD SD70ACe) #1072 Interstate Railroad (GE ES44AC) #8105 Monongahela Railway (GE ES44AC) #8025 New York Central Railroad (EMD SD70ACe) #1066

Nickel Plate Road (GE ES44AC) #8100 Norfolk & Western (Blue "Hamburger" Logo) (GE ES44AC) #8103 Norfolk Southern (Original) (GE ES44AC) #8114 Penn Central (EMD SD70ACe) #1073 Pennsylvania Railroad (Tuscan Red) (GE ES44AC) #8102 Reading Company (EMD SD70ACe) #1067 Savannah & Atlanta (Tuxedo Black scheme) (EMD SD70ACe) #1065 Southern (Crescent Green scheme) (GE ES44AC) #8099 Virginian (EMD SD70ACe) #1069 Wabash Railroad (EMD SD70ACe) #1070

Total rolling stock as of 2013

2013 Norfolk Southern Rolling Stock

Type	Owned	Leased	Total	Total Capacity (Tons)
Gondola	33,820	3,839	37,659	4,098,830
Hopper	15,234	521	15,755	1,737,636
Box	12,356	1,470	13,826	1,151,821
Covered hopper	10,558	158	10,716	1,182,466
Flat	2,506	1,133	3,639	335,196
Other	4,608	87	4,695	225,067
Total	79,082	7,208	86,290	8,731,016

EMP Intermodal transport

File:EMP logo.png

EMP container

EMP, a domestic interline intermodal freight transport partnership, is owned by Norfolk Southern, Union Pacific, and agent-owned partners Canadian National Railway, Canadian Pacific Railway, I&M Rail Link, Iowa Interstate Railroad, Wisconsin Central Ltd., and Kansas City Southern Railway. The company provides shipping and logistics of containers. It has a fleet of over 35,000 domestic 53-foot containers and chassis. The service traverses major cities throughout North America.

Environmental record

Air quality and fuel efficiency

In early spring of 2008, the state program manager for air quality planning in Georgia, Jimmy Johnston, had been talking to Norfolk Southern about voluntary upgrades to reduce the company's environmental impact. Norfolk Southern is upgrading 3,800 of its locomotives with new technology that is 73 percent more efficient than previous models. The new technology being put into the locomotives is making the ride more fuel efficient and reducing idle time.

Norfolk Southern has also introduced an experimental battery-electric switcher locomotive, NS 999. This prototype locomotive was developed by Norfolk Southern, in collaboration with the United States Department of Energy, the Federal Railroad Administration and the Pennsylvania State University.

Spillage

On January 6, 2005, a Norfolk Southern derailment resulted in a large amount of chlorine and diesel fuel being released into nearby waterways in Graniteville, South Carolina. In addition, a toxic cloud covered the city resulting in the town being evacuated. Federal common carrier laws prevent railroads from refusing to transport chlorine and similar Toxic Inhalation Hazard (TIH) commodities. Local wildlife was killed, many of the local crops and vegetation were contaminated or killed, nine human deaths were reported, and thousands were injured.

The company is being taken to court and being fined for violating the Clean Water Act and the Federal Superfund law. Norfolk Southern has spent a total of $26 million for the cleanup.

Marketing and awards

Steam excursion programs

Main article: 21st Century Steam

In 1966, a popular steam locomotive excursion program was instituted under the presidency of W. Graham Claytor, Jr., and included Southern veteran locomotives such as Southern 630, Southern 722 and Southern 4501, along with non-Southern locomotives, such as Texas & Pacific 610, Canadian Pacific 2839 and Chesapeake & Ohio 2716.

After the 1982, the steam program survived the consolidation of the Norfolk Southern Corporation. President Robert Claytor retained the popular steam excursion program which begun in the 1960s by his brother and former railroad president W. Graham Claytor, Jr. Norfolk Southern initially attempted to use former Chesapeake and Ohio 2716, which had been modified for the Southern Railway's program, but the locomotive developed mechanical problems, and the railroad brought Norfolk & Western 611 and Norfolk & Western 1218 into the program. The railroad was forced to end the program in late 1994 after two accidents in the preceding decade and rising insurance and maintenance costs to keep it going.

In 2010, steam excursions were restarted on a limited basis as the 21st Century Steam program in conjunction with the Tennessee Valley Railroad Museum. The program currently operates Southern Railway 630, Nickel Plate 765, Southern Railway 4501, and Norfolk & Western 611.

Television advertising

The television commercials represent both the railroad and the holding company. On September 3, 2007, Norfolk Southern launched new television ads featuring a family of gas cans cross country trekking to meet a Norfolk Southern train; it is a message on Norfolk Southern' role to reduced congestion on highways called "Lonely Gallon". It also features the song "You Don't Need Me" performed by Ravi Krishnaswami of New York and Steve Kolander of Atlanta. The song was created specially for Norfolk Southern. It was filmed in the Shenandoah Valley in Virginia. In May 2013, Norfolk Southern rocked National Train Day by premiering a new ad series, using music adapted from ABC's "Conjunction Junction" School House Rock program. The video shows an overhead view of Inman Rail Yard in Atlanta. Norfolk Southern's commercials can often be seen on channels such as CNN several times throughout the day.

Awards and recognition

Awards and recognition represent both both the railroad and the holding company. From 1989 to 2012, Norfolk Southern won the Gold (first-place) E.H. Harriman Award in Group A (line-haul railroads whose employees worked 15 million employee-hours or more) every single year. The award, which recognized the railroads with the lowest casualty rates per 200,000 employee-hours, was discontinued in 2012.

In January 2011, former Norfolk Southern Chairman and CEO Wick Moorman was named Railroader of the Year by Railway Age magazine.

See also

• Norfolk Southern Corporation
• History of railroads in Michigan
• Southern Railway's Spencer Shops (now a museum in Salisbury, North Carolina)
• FM OP800
• List of Norfolk Southern predecessor railroads
• Thoroughbred Shortline Program

Cultural references

• Pope Lick Monster
• John Henry (folklore)

Trade unions

• United Transportation Union
• Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers & Trainmen
• American Train Dispatchers Association
• Transportation Communications International Union
• Brotherhood of Railroad Signalmen

References

General references

• "System map". Norfolk Southern Railway. Retrieved 2008-07-28.
• "System Map 2013 PDF" (PDF). Norfolk Southern Railway. Retrieved 2015-11-16.

Bibliography

• Murray, Tom. Southern Railway (MBI Railroad Color History). St. Paul: Voyageur Press, 2007. ISBN 0-7603-2545-6

External links

• Official website of the Norfolk Southern Corporation, including a system map
• Norfolk Southern Photo Archive
• Yahoo! - Norfolk Southern Corporation Company Profile

• Southern Railway Historical Association covers Southern Railway history
• Virginia Museum of Transportation located in Roanoke, VA
• Johnson's Depot: Railway History of Johnson City,TN
• Railroad lines abandoned by the Southern Railway
• Annual Report of Southern Railway Company in Mississippi (MUM00010) at The University of Mississippi.
• Harrison, Fairfax. A History of the Legal Development of the Railroad System of Southern Railway Company. Washington, D.C.: 1901. (A Google eBook)
• Norfolk Southern Railway. Retrieved February 22, 2005.
• Named Trains
• SOUTHERN Railfan